Bag holder



April 22, 1969 P. J. PINTO BAG HOLDER v Filed June 20, 1967 INVENTOR.PATRICK J. PINTO United States Patent 3,439,891 BAG HOLDER Patrick I.Pinto, Freehold, N.J., assignor to William E. Young, Stamford, Conn.Filed June 20, 1967, Ser. No. 647,360 Int. Cl. B65b 67/04; A47! 7/00 US.Cl. 248-100 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTIONField of the invention The general field of art to which this inventionpertains is in the class generally deesignated as supports andparticularly to the subclassification dealing with bag holders.

Q Other subclasses are those directed towards stands, with mouth-holdingframes either prong-type or hook-type or frames with a bracket.

Description 0] the prior art The need or demand for bag holders and thelike is evident by the many patents each directed toward a solu tion ofa specific problem in the support of a particular type of bag; however,there is a great need for a bag holder adapted to rack or support alarge supply of plastic bags. In addition to supporting the bags, theholder must permit the ready opening of each of these bags separatelyand sequentially. After opening, the loading of the bag is accomplishedwhile it is held in an open-position on the bag holder, after which theremoval of the loaded bags from the bag holder is readily accomplished.Typical bag hoIders representative of the present state of the art areexemplified in US. Patent No. 2,899,161 to Bayard of Aug. ll, 1959 andUS. Patent No. 2,790.59] to Rosen of Apr. 30, 1957. as well as US.Patent No. 2,875,970 to Gardner of Mar. 3, 1959 and a garment bagdispenser as shown in US. Patent No. 2,997,167 to Westfall of Aug. 22,1961.

In particular, the racking of bags on a holder as shown in the patent toBayard provides a support means for square or automatic self-openingbags; however, this support provides means for both the face and back ofthe bags to be supported and requires much manipulation of the bag atthe time of removing the bag from the holder after the bag has beenfilled. In the supermarkets and like merchandising outlets, bags arecustomarily provided in bundles and are stacked in bins and the like.The checkout clerk or a clerk helper doing the bagging normally removesone of the bags from the pile or bundle and with manipulation opens thebag and, as best he or she can and with the opened bag sitting on itsbottom, in a chute or leaned against a comer, fills the bag with theitems that are to be bagged. Bags are thus opened and filled oftenrequire extra time, as far as the clerk is concerned, to sup-port thebag while loading the bag and many accidents occur in the filling of thebags.

The bags as presently used by the various marketing services are usuallyof a kraft-type paper composition and by its composition and manufacturehas a certain amount of stiffness. These kraft bags. once open, have acertain ability to stay in the open position while resting upon I theirfolded bottoms. Plastic bags made of thin film lack this stiffness andunder usual packaging conditions are difficult to filland so have beenunable to move into this market.

Those bag holders that are known and have been used for the support ofthin film plastic bags do not provide a ready support means, in thatthese film plastic bags have a tendency to crumple or fall upon anysupportqisurface. The bag holder of this invention is particularlyadapted for use with bags classified as automatic self-opening or squarebags with gussets or tucks in their sides, preferably having a squarebottom, and with these bags preferably being formed of a thin plasticfilm of high strength. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The bag holder of thisinvention is essentially formed of two rod-like members adapted forattachment to a vcr.ical'surface and in,v an attached position to extendoutwardly from a said surface. In the attached position the arms aredisposed in a substantially parallel relationship to each other. Next toits wall attaching portion each rod is provided with a notch or recessinto which a group of bags may be positioned and supported with theoutward end of each recess being formed so as to providea shoulderadapted to restrain'the outward movement of a supported bag until it islifted or urged over this notch and is slide outwardly. These bags areprovided with sized and spaced apertures in their, upper portions, theapertured bags being slidable as a group onto the rods. The advantage ofsuch a bag holder is its simplicity of construction and operation and inaddition the bag holder may be of a design which is readily adjustablefor use with various sizes of bags both in relationship to the heightand also to the width ofthe bag.

It is an object of this invention. to provide a bag holder in which apair of rod-like members are adapted for mounting or support on a. walland the like, each outwardly extending rod having formed in its upperportion a recess of determined length and having the outer end of therecess formed to provide a shoulder adapted to engage the lip or portionof the bag surrounding a hole Q punched in the front, back and gussetsof a bag.

There has been outlined rather broadly the most im-, portant features ofthe bag holding apparatus of this invention in order that the presentcontribution to the art may be more fully appreciated. Those personsskilled in this art will appreciate that the concept on which thepresent disclosure is based may be utilized to provide the basis forother bag holding devices similarly carrying out the bag retaining andsupport purposes of this invention. There has been chosen a specificembodiment of the apparatus and alternate thereof for the purposes ofillus-.

tration and description of the bag holding means of this invention andthis apparatus is shownirijthe accompanying drawing forming a part ofthe specification wherein:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 represents an isomertic viewshowing a" pre ferred arrangement of an assembled bag holder of thisinvention;

FIG. 2 represents a fragmentary and enlarged side 55 of FIG. 4 andshowing the construction of a recess in the bag holder support member ofFIG. 4;

FIG. 6 represents a fragmentary and enlarged side view of yet anotheralternate recess arrangement of a bag holder support member asconstructed from a solid rod;

FIG. 7 represents a sectional view taken on the line 7-7 of FIG. 6 andshowing the construction of a recess in a solid rod bag holder supportmember;

FIG. 8 represents a somewhat diagrammatic plan view in a reduced scaleand looking downwardly at the bag holder with a group of bags mountedthereon;

FIG. 9 represents the bag holder of FIG. 8 with an outermost bag beinggrasped by its front or outer panel so as to open the bag;

FIG. 10 represents the plan view of FIG. 9 but with the bag now openedinto a fully expanded or open position; and

FIG. 11 represents the bag of FIG. 10 after being filled and with thebag in the process of being grasped for removal from the holder.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now in particular toFIG. 1, it is to be noted that the bag holder of this embodiment iscontemplated to be made of a single rod-like member bent generally intoa shape of a U or channel shape and comprising outwardly extending armsand 22 disposed at substantially right angles to short upwardlyextending portions 24 and 26 which are a part of or are attached to andare joined by a. spacer portion 28. This spacer portion, midway of itsends, has welded to it an attaching or mounting tab 30 having apertures32 formed therein and providing for the application of screwstherethrough to a wall or the like. Formed in each of the arms 20 and 22are like recess portions 34 which are better seen in FIGS. 6 and 7 andin which the rod 22 is shown as having a portion 34 formed in its uppersurface, said recess 34 having a determined length and a determineddepth.

As reduced to practice, the rod 22 is three-eighths of an inch indiameter and each recess 34 formed therein is three thirty-seconds of aninch deep so that the remaining portion of the rod is ninethirty-seconds of an inch. The outward shoulder 36 is shown as beingformed in a substantially vertical manner which, as reduced to practice,is the preferred construction. The recess in the solid rod may be formedas by milling, by swaging or by upsetting in a die.

Referring now in particular to FIGS. 2 and 3 as applied to the assemblyof FIG. 1, it is to be noted that the support portions 20 through 28 maybe made of tubing instead of a solid rod. When the bag holder is to bemade of tubing it is bent in the same general U-shape of channel form asis seen in FIG. 1. The tubing arm 122, of course, is machined to form arecess 134 which also is cut about one-sixteenth of an inch deep intothe tubing to provide a shoulder 136.

Referring next to FIGS. 4 and 5, there is shown yet another bag holderwhich is formed in the same general U-shape as the holder of FIG. 1. Inthis alternate holder 2. rod 222 of nine thirty-seconds of an inch indiameter is provided with a pair of lengths of tubing 50 each tightlygripping one of the horizontally extending and parallel arms. Theselengths of tubing are preferably of plastic such as Teflon or nylon andhave portions removed to form recesses 234 on the arm. These recesses,after the tubing has been positioned and mounted in a tight nonslip fitcondition on the rods 52, provide a determined bag retaining recess 234having a forward shoulder 236 on each bag support arm portion.

USE AND OPERATION OF THE BAG SUPPORT APPARATUS and the gusseted sidestherebetween have apertures or holes punched or drilled which are sizedto be slidable upon the rods 20 and 22. These apertures in the bags arespaced so as to align with rods 20 and 22 and the bags are grouped intoa determined quantity so that the recesses 34 are of sufficient lengthto accept the group of bags 60 after they are moved to the recess.Preferably the recess is disposed in the rear or inner portion of therods 20 and 22.

Referring now in particular to FIGS. 8 through 11, there is shown agroup of bags 60 wherein the outermost bag 62 of the group has its faceor outermost panel grasped by a hand 64 of a clerk and the like. As seenin FIG. 9, this face or outermost panel of the bag 62 is grasped by theclerk who lifts this panel sufiiciently to cause this panel portion tolift from the recess 34 and from in the way of shoulder 36 after whichthe panel and gusset portions are slid outwardly onto the outermostportion of the rods 20 and 22.

Referring next to FIG. 10, wherein is seen that the bag 62 has beenopened outwardly and that the gusseted ends 66 and 68 of the bag now lieadjacent the rods 20 and 22. The back of the bag is still engaged by theshoulder 36 of the recess which provides means for positioning andretaining the bag on the holder. Preferably the bottom of the bag isadapted to rest upon a support platform, whereupon the bag may be filledwith groceries 70 and the like as seen in FIG. 11. After the bag hasbeen filled, the clerk grasps the sides 66 and 68 of the bag and liftingthe back panel 72 of bag 62 from in the way of the shoulder 36 causesthe bag to he slid outwardly upon the outer portions of the rods 20 and22 until the bag is slid from the rods.

As reduced to practice, the holes formed in the panels and gussets ofthe bags 60 are sized so that they slide easily upon the rods 20 and 22and when mounted in the recesses 34 are so disposed that the bagportions around the apertures engage the shoulder 36 until the bag islifted from'in way of this shoulder. By means of this shoulder the bagis prevented from accidentally sliding outwardly on the rods and whenopened as in the condition of FIGS. 10 and 11 is maintained in an openposition for ready loading by means of the clerk. It is also to be notedthat film-type plastic bags having no inherent rigidity or stiffness mayhave their side panels 66 and 68 pulled substantially taut so that thebag may be opened on the rods almost to its maximum extent.

The alternate embodiments as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 and in FIGS. 4 and 5provide substantially the same shoulder means and a like recess whichare equivalent to the recess 34 and shoulder 36 in their function asabovedescribed.

It is contemplated that the arms 20 and 22 need not be connected bymeans of the midportion 28 and may be two separate units mounted in anyof several ways; however, the novel concept of this invention resides inthe placement and formation of the notch portions of the substantiallystraight rods, said notch forming the recess 34, 134 and 234. The rodsand recesses are sized and spaced so that the bags by their spacedapertures are readily slid onto the rods 20 and 22 until they arereceived and retained in the recess in each rod. The bags are retainedin these recesses until such time as the outermost bag is manipulatedover the abutment provided by the shoulders 36, 136 and 236 asabove-described. As employed in this invention the recesses prevent theunwanted outward sliding of the bags on the rods until they arephysically manipulated over this abutment. The apertures are madeslightly larger than the rods so that they may be easily moved on therods.

tion with the rods 20 and 22 a support platform of determined size anddistince below the rods is preferably supplied so as to relieve the loadof the filled bag upon the apertures formed in the top of the bag. Theuse of a platform is conventional and is not considered a part of thisinvention, hence is not shown in the drawing.

In the above specification and the claims to follow the terms used inconjunction with the description of the bags and their construction isto be defined in accordance with the Glossary of Packaging Termsproviding for standard definitions of trade terms commonly used inpackaging. The glossary, as a reference, is the third edition compiledand published by the Packaging'lnstitute, Inc., of 342 Madison Ave., NewYork, NY. 10017 and copyrighted 1961.

The terms in, out, .up, down, across, and the like are applicable to thebag holding device shown and described in conjunction with the drawing.These terms as used are merely for the purpose of description and do notnecessarilyapply to the position in which the bag holding apparatus maybe constructed or used.

The conception of the bag holding apparatus and its many applications isnot limited to the examples abovedescribed but departures therefrom maybe made within the scope of the accompanying claims and protection issought to the broadest extent the prior art allows.

What is claimed is: g

.1. A bag holder for a grouping of flexible bags in which the group ofbags is provided with a pair of likesized and aligned apertures ofdetermined size and spacing, said bag holder comprising: (a) a pair ofsubstantially straight rod-like arms whose major diameter is less thanthe diameter of an aperture in the grouping of bags; (b) means forattaching the arms to a support surface so that the arms when mountedare in substantially the same plane and with their axes substantiallyparallel; (c) a recess portion of like size formed in the outer surfaceof each arm, the recess of a length to receive and retain at least onegrouping of bags of a determined number, said recess being positioned toprovide a determined outward extending length of arm for the support ofthe opened side and face portion of the bag and so that the bag may besmoothly slid on and off the substantially straight rodlike arm, and (d)an abrupt shoulder formed as part of the recess and adjacent theoutwardly extending length of arm, the shoulder being substantiallynormal to the n st axis of the rod and of sufficient depth to provide astop to the outward sliding movement of the bag in the recess, theoutward movement of the bag being accomplished by manipulating the bagso that selected apertured portions of the bag are moved from in way ofthe shoulder and to the outward extent of the arm.

2. A bag holder for a grouping of flexible bags in which the group ofbags is provided with a pair of like-sized and aligned apertures ofdetermined size and spacing, said bag holder comprising: (a) a pair ofsubstantially straight rod-like arms whose major diameter is less thanthe diameter of an aperture in the grouping of bags; (b) means forattaching the arms to a support surface so that the arms when mountedare in substantially the same plane and with their axes substantiallyparallel; (c) a tubing sleeve of determined length and wall thicknessand mounted on each rod-like arm, the sleeve having a lengthwise portionremoved to provide with the rod a recess adapted to receive and retainat least one grouping of bags of a determined number, and outwardly ofthe tubing sleeve an extending portion of arm providing a support forthe opened side and face portion of the opened bag and so that the bagmay be smoothly slid on and off the substantially straight rod-like arm,and (d) the removed portion of the sleeve having its outer end formed toprovide an abrupt shoulder to the recess, the shoulder beingsubstantially normal to the axis of the rod and of a suffi cient depthto provide a stop to the outward sliding movement of the bag in therecess, the outward movement of the bag being accomplished bymanipulating the bag so that selected apertured portions of the bag aremoved from in way of the shoulder and to the outward extent of the arm.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,519,932 8/1950 Rostoker 211-57X 2,899,161 7/1959 Bayard 248101 3,257,090 6/1966 Frazier 24899 FOREIGNPATENTS 270,432 4/ 1964 Australia.

CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 21159

